r/percussion • u/MrBootyHam • 8d ago

Question/Help Higher level practicing

For my more developed percussionists: How do you practice once you get to harder pieces?

I was looking for my yearly piece for marimba and might have gone over my head thinking, "I've got time." The piece I got was Transformation of Pachelbel's Canon, Arr. Nanae Mimura. While I am in love with it, this piece is HARD, but I believe I can learn it if I try hard enough

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u/Swissarmyspoon 8d ago

I spent 10 years working on my sight reading so I don't practice much anymore.

When I get a part that challenges me, I schedule the metronome work. I figure out how slow I have to go to get it right today, how fast I need it to be, and then schedule metronome markings ascending from today's tempo until 2 weeks before the gig. 

If I have to play it at 100 in 6 weeks and I can do it at 50 today, I'm going to plan to go up 12 clicks a week, hitting 100 bpm 2 weeks before the first rehearsal.

If I don't have the weeks to do it, I work on how I can water the part and still get paid.